Dr. H.F. Parsons's report to the Local Government Board on the recent prevalence of scarlet fever and diphtheria in the Thorne registration district, and on the general sanitary condition of the sanitary districts comprised therein / [H. Franklin Parsons].

  • Parsons, H. Franklin (Henry Franklin), 1846-1913.
Date:
1883
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. H.F. Parsons's report to the Local Government Board on the recent prevalence of scarlet fever and diphtheria in the Thorne registration district, and on the general sanitary condition of the sanitary districts comprised therein / [H. Franklin Parsons]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Vital Statistics—The following table, extracted from the Registrar General’s reports, shows the number and proportion of births and deaths in the Thorne registration district during the ten years 1873-82, distinguishing the deaths of children under one year old, and those from certain specified diseases. Year. Estimated Population. Births. Deaths. Deaths under one year old. Deaths. Number. Rate per 1,000 Population. Number. Rate per 1,000 Population. Number. Rate per 100 Births. Small-pox. Measles. Scarlet Fever. Diphtheria. I b£) '|fr M 8 & Fever. i Diarrhoea. 1873 16,844 520 30-9 280 16 • 6 67 12-9 2 _ 2 _ 3 22 11 1874 16.761 542 32’4 316 18-8 98 18-1 i 1 2 1 7 5 14 1875 16,679 528 31-7 311 18-7 80 15-1 — 1 18 3 4 14 14 1876 16,597 550 33-1 313 18-8 90 16-4 — 3 10 1 2 10 10 1877 16,515 548 33-2 321 19-4 75 13-7 — 2 20 1 2 19 6 1878 16,433 539 32*8 325 19-8 81 15-0 — — 6 1 3 8 9 1879 16,353 521 31-9 324 19-8 74 14-2 — — 28 2 13 2 5 1880 16,272 510 31-4 285 17-5 71 13-9 — 8 5 — 11 3 14 1881 16,192 503 31-1 288 17-8 60 12-0 — — 2 — 3 5 9 1882 16,112 471 29-3 301 18'7 59 12-5 — 1 f63 10 A 7 t 9 Average 16,476 522 31-7 306 18-6 75 14-4 ( * 02 •09 •95 •11 ■33 •57 I •61 England and f 35'1 20-8 14-5 •08 •37 •69 •12 •50 •42 •80 Wales -j ^Standard Rural f 30'5 14-6 10-1 •03 • 22 •24 •19 *35 •21 •43 Districts -j / 1 Rates per 1,000 Population per annum. From the preceding table it will be seen that the proportional mortality of the Thorne district is under that of the kingdom as a whole, and as regards certain of the “zymotic” diseases bears favourable comparison with even the healthiest districts, but is above the average as regards scarlet fever and continued fevers. Scarlet fever.—From the above table it will be seen that cases of scarlet fever, more or fewer in number, have occurred in the Thorne registration district during every recent year, but at the end of 1881 the district had for two years been nearly free from the disease, only two deaths having taken place in that year, in June and September. These had occurred in isolated houses, their origin being unknown, and the disease had not spread to any persons but those first attacked. Scarlet fever appears from the Registrar General’s returns to have existed previously and at tl at time in several of the neighbouring districts, especially Glanford Brigg. It was also then extensively prevalent and fatal in Hull, and subsequently at Mex- brough, from which places much boat traffic passes through the Thorne district. It does not appear that the earliest cases had their origin in this way, and the villages of Stainforth and Keadby, where many canal people live, escaped the scarlet fever epidemic very lightly. The present epidemic appears to have commenced in the parish of Belton about December 1881; the earliest cases were slight, and their origin was not ascertained. The first death from scarlet fever occurred at Epworth on 3rd January 1882 ; it was that of a boy who had visited relatives at Belton, who had been unwell, and was taken ill a day or so afterwards. Scarlet fever first became prevalent at Carr Houses, a hamlet of Belton, in a low swampy situation, where also it was especially fatal. One of the earlier households attacked was that of a yeoman who sold milk to a few of his neighbours who came or sent their children to the house to fetch it, some of whom * The “Standard group of healthy rural districts” comprises the registration districts of Epsom, Hambledon, Dorking, Reigate, and Godstone in Surrey, and Bromley in Kent. The population of this group of districts in 1881 was 169,935, having increased from 132,986 in 1871. In calculating the total death-rate the deaths in the Metropolitan Lunatic Asylums situated in certain of those districts have been deducted, and a deduction of 4,000 for the number of the inmates of those asylums has been made from the aggregate population. | The quarterly returns published by the Registrai’-General show no deaths from scarlet-fever in the Thorne sub-district in the second and fourth quarters of 1882, but three deaths in the second and ei«ht in the fourth quarter from “ Fever.” These figures are, however, erroneous, owing apparently to a mistake on the part of the local registrar ; the register shows that the three deaths in the second quarter and seven out of the eight in the fourth quarter were certified to be due to scarlet-fever. In the above table the corrected numbers are given.